Abstract/Notes: 53 4- and 5-yr-olds in traditional and Montessori nursery schools were observed for social interaction during free play. The schools differed on teaching orientation and grading but had the same child/adult ratio. Ss in both settings engaged in the same amount of social interaction, but Ss in the Montessori setting had longer mean durations of interactions and more verbal and less nonverbal interaction. Males interacted more than females and adults intervened with males more than with females. Results are discussed as they relate to child/adult ratio and differences across and within settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: English

DOI: 10.1037/0022-0663.68.6.725

ISSN: 0022-0663, 1939-2176

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: This study examines teaching and learning economics and entrepreneurship through a student-run Montessori middle school store. By designing and managing a school store, students created a 'community of practice' to learn economics concepts in their daily environment. Questions guiding this study were: (a) How do students' social-interactions in a Montessori middle school student-operated business demonstrate economics content knowledge? (b) How do students' social-interactions in a Montessori middle school student-operated business demonstrate economics skills? (c) How do students' business roles in the store develop their understanding of economics principles? Findings indicate that: (1) student activities in the school store promoted learning through social interaction; (2) the type and number of business roles a student assumed created opportunities for economic learning; (3) student entrepreneurs expressed specific knowledge of economics concepts, and, (4) students' decision-making and ownership affected behavior. Additionally, features of Kohlberg's (1985) concept of Just Community supported the learning environment. This study can provide social studies teachers and teacher-educators with a model for learning economics (or social studies) concepts through a curricular-based student-run enterprise.

Language: English

ISSN: 0885-985X, 2352-2798

Abstract/Notes: This study investigated early childhood educators' beliefs regarding whether and when they should interact with children. Interviews were conducted with five educators chosen for their alignment with five distinct philosophical approaches representing a range of contemporary early childhood education services in New Zealand. A qualitative approach was used to elicit their individual stories to delve into the complexities of child-centred interactions., The literature reviewed highlighted an apparent tension between developmental and sociocultural perspectives, namely the issue of whether and when educators choose to interact with children. However, this study suggests that such tension is nullified when educators align their daily practice with clear philosophical guidelines.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/183693911203700405

ISSN: 1836-9391, 1839-5961

Abstract/Notes: Intensive observations were made of the classroom behavior of students enrolled in a Montessori academy versus students in a public elementary school. Twelve behavioral measures yielded information in four general areas: type of task involvement, source of supervision for academic tasks, size of task group, and amount of physical movement within the classroom. While students in the two schools showed a similar distribution of time between concentrated academic effort and distractive activities, the two groups were sharply distinguished on most of the other behavioral measures. In general, the classroom behavior of the Montessori and public school students coincided with the educational philosophies espoused by the two types of schools. No differences were found in the responses of boys and girls, but a pattern of behavior reflecting greater personal autonomy was found to differentiate the older from the younger students (fourth grade versus first grade levels).

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/00220671.1973.10884492

ISSN: 0022-0671

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Mobile technologies used for education may offer advantages for children with Communication Disorders, among which we can find language disorders and speech disorders, which are identified in DSM-V. In this research, we have introduced two educational activities, “Matching Cards” and “Cards & Sounds”, based on the Montessori Method and which deal with the first stages of reading and writing. We have tested these two activities with children with and without Communication Disorders in order to study how they interact. These groups of children use a Tablet to perform the two activities, which vary in visual and auditory stimuli. The activities employ two touch interactions: tap and drag & drop. Based on Montessori, the activity and the interaction do not produce either positive or negative feedback. The analysis performed with the variables of time, interaction and mistake has shown that children from both groups change their efficiency of use. Differences regarding the interaction of children with and without Communication Disorders have also been observed. Additionally, children with Communication Disorders need additional strategies as explicit indicators in the interaction which may be a guide to be able to carry out specific actions.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s00779-020-01471-7

ISSN: 1617-4909, 1617-4917

Abstract/Notes: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose the activity‐based focus group as a useful method with which to generate talk‐in‐interaction among pre‐schoolers. Analytically, it aims to illustrate how transcribed talk‐in‐interaction can be subjected to a discourse analytic lens, to produce insights into how pre‐schoolers use “Coca‐Cola” as a conversational resource with which to build product‐related meanings and social selves. Design/methodology/approach Fourteen activity‐based discussion groups with pre‐schoolers aged between two and five years have been conducted in a number of settings including privately run Montessori schools and community based preschools in Dublin. The talk generated through these groups has been transcribed using the conventions of conversation analysis (CA). Passages of talk characterized by the topic of Coca‐Cola were isolated and a sub‐sample of these are analysed here using a CA‐informed discourse analytic approach. Findings A number of linguistic repertoires are drawn on, including health, permission and age. Coca‐Cola is constructed as something which is “bad” and has the potential to make one “mad”. It is an occasion‐based product permitted by parents for example as a treat, at the cinema or at McDonalds. It can be utilised to build “age‐based” social selves. “Big” boys or girls can drink Coca‐Cola but it is not suitable for “babies”. Originality/value This paper provides insight into the use of the activity‐based focus group as a data generation tool for use with pre‐schoolers. A discourse analytic approach to the interpretation of children's talk‐in‐interaction suggests that the preschool consumer is competent in accessing and employing a consumer artefact such as Coca‐Cola as a malleable resource with which to negotiate product meanings and social selves.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1108/17473610911007148

ISSN: 1747-3616

Abstract/Notes: The transition of the Kazakh alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin, set to be fully implemented by 2031, poses unwanted challenges to early and continuous literacy development and acquisition of the new script. This creates a need to design innovative learning solutions to boost children's motivation in acquiring the new Kazakh Latin alphabet. The Montessori method has proven itself effective for young children to engage in self-directed and developmentally appropriate literacy acquisition. These core ideas have been carefully adopted to establish design principles for the robotic system that is adhering to the principles of the Montessori pedagogy. This paper proposes a robotic system named Moveable -l-pbi and details its interaction design life cycle from understanding users and establishing requirements to designing, and implementing robot behaviours and validating them with the Montessori practitioner. This process was iterative that involved several cycles of piloting the system with children of targeted age groups and redesigning the learning activities. With the aim to evaluate the proposed system and to find the most cognitively rewarding way of learning the alphabet, we conducted a mixed-subject design experiment with 60 Kazakh children aged 8-10 years old from a local public school where we compare the proposed Moveable -l-pbi robotic system with a baseline Montessori human teacher. The results demonstrate the potential of the robot as a Montessori teacher in providing foundational letter acquisition over multiple sessions. Implications for improving the interaction design and activities are discussed based on the findings.

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Association for Computing Machinery, Mar 2023

Pages: 691–695

DOI: 10.1145/3568294.3580175

ISBN: 978-1-4503-9970-8

Abstract/Notes: The present study is centered on understanding the gender concepts teachers have, and the form in which their gender perspective is related to the way teachers of a Mexican Montessori elementary school interact with their students according to the child's gender in the early elementary school years. The type of messages teachers are sending to children when they are in the classroom in relation to the concepts of masculinity and feminity are discussed. The analysis is rooted in qualitative research methodology and the gender category. Gender is seen as a social phenomenon. The paper deals with the work that has been done in gender and schools, especially related to the role teachers have when dealing with gender in the classroom. It discusses how a different method of education, in this case the Montessori method, differs from the traditional system of education when dealing with gender issues. The way teachers deal with gender issues at school is deeply connected to the viewpoint of gender they have. The narratives of the teachers help us understand this relation. It is hoped that by examining their own practice toward gender issues teachers will take a first step towards a non-sexist education. It is true that the Montessori system breaks from many of the conventional gender-biased practices of traditional schools; even so, a total change cannot be seen until our own perspectives on gender evolve.

Language: English

Published: Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 2002